The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has eliminated several civil rights offices, including its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and two ombudsman offices, citing a need to streamline operations and support immigration enforcement. Staff have been placed on administrative leave under a reduction in force.
The terminated offices included the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman and the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, which handled public complaints and oversight related to immigration policies and detention conditions. DHS claimed the offices obstructed its core mission by adding “bureaucratic hurdles.”
Critics, including Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, condemned the move as a blow to transparency and civil liberties. Thompson said it dismantled post-9/11 protections designed to uphold constitutional rights.
The New York Times first reported the layoffs, which come as the Trump administration faces criticism for invoking the Alien Enemies Act. A recent order used the law to deport Venezuelan nationals alleged to be gang members, with over 230 individuals flown to El Salvador for detention.
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